Display rack



March 25, 1941. H Y 2,235,977

DISPLAY RACK Filed Jan. 7, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l I II m BY 6 W%;//

I ATTORNEYS March 25, 1941. H, B|TNEY 2,235,977

DISPLAY RACK Filed Jan. 7,-1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

' BY 6 j g g Patented Mar. 25, 1941 'YUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY RACK Dewey H. Bitney, Albion, Mich, assignor to Union Steel Products Company, Albion, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application January '7, 1939, Serial No. 249,710

10 Claims. (Cl. 21l--55) This invention relates to improvements in disends by the top cross piece 3 formed integrally play k therewith and at their lower ends by a pair of The main objects of this invention are: cross pieces i welded to the uprights and I also First, to provide an improved display rack which preferably provide an intermediate cross piece 5,

5 may be readily adapted for the display of seeds also welded to the uprights. These uprights are 5 in packets or for the display of other merchanprovided with pairs of loop-like socket members 6 di adapted to receive the downturned dowel projec- Second, to provide a display rack which may be tions of the dowel members i of the longitudinal shipped in the knock-down and setup by merrods or bars 8. The rear bottom longitudinal bar 10 chants or others without the aid of tools, at the Which for convenience I designate by the numeral 10 same time one which when set up is strong and Q is provided with the dowels l and has crossed rigid even when made of quite light material. diagonally disposed strut III having upturned Third, to provide an all'metal display. rack dowels It at their outer ends engageable with which is attractive in appearance notwithstanding the socket members I4 by springing the strut the simplicity of structure thereof. members Hi. This serves as an effective bracing 15 Fourth, to provide a display rackhaving these means for the end members. The struts I0 are advantages which when knocked down may be connected to the member 9 by means of the upvery compactly arranged for shipment. or storage. right braces I5.

Fifth, to provide a tray unit for the display of When the rack is assembled, the end members seeds which is effective for the purpose, attracare held against pivotal collapsing movement on 20 tive in appearance and atthe same time economitheir dowels by the tray units. designated genercal in structure. ally by the numeral It. These tray units com- Objects relating to details and economies of prise the continuous top frames I! which are the invention will appear from the description to adapted to fit between the uprights of the end follow. The invention is defined and pointed out members and serve as braces therefor. The tray 25 in the claims. units it are provided with a plurality of trays [8 Preferred embodiments of the invention are arranged in stepped series, these trays being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in formed of loop-like elements l9 having angled h h; arms it, the looped ends of the elements consti- Fig. 1 is. an end elevation of a display rack contuting the rear walls of the trays and the angled 30 taming one embodiment of my invention adapted portions of their arms 2| the bottoms thereof. as a seed display rack, seed packets being'illus- The upright portions 2|] of the arms are welded trated by dotted lines in one of the trays of the to the cross rods 22 which are in turn welded to .upper rack nit the side members of the frame I! and the ends Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line of the parts 2| are welded to the cross rod 23 E--2 of Fig. 3. p which is in turn welded to the upright portions Fig. 2A is an enlarged fragmentary section 20]. The parts 2| of the front tray elements have showing details of the mounting of a tray unit at upturned portions 24 which are secured to the top the rear of the rack. frame.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation. In the embodiment illustrated, the reinforcing 4 Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of frame cross pieces 25 are provided extending across and parts of the embodiment of Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. secured to the portions 2| intermediate thereof Fig.5 is an end elevation of a slightly modified and terminating in upturned ends 26 secured to form of tray unit. the frame IT. This provides a very strong con- Fig. 6 is an end elevation of another modified struction although the parts are of light material. form of tray unit in which the separate trays are The partition rods 21 extend from front to omitted. rear of the rack, dividing the trays into pockets Fig. '7 is a fragmentary View partially in horiadapted to receive seed packets or other merzontal section showingdetails of the frame'end chandise as indicated at 28, see Figs. 1 and 3 members adapted for the tray units of Figs. 5 where the merchandise is indicated by dotted and 6. lines.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in These tray units are, as stated, disposed be- Figs. 1 to 4 comprises a pair of endmembers destween the end members and as best illustrated in' ignated generally by the numeral 1, I and com- Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are provided with hooked supprising corner uprights 2 connected at their upper sports 3|] which hook over and rest upon the rear longitudinal members, the tray unit resting upon the front longitudinal members with the front tray overhanging the same as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Lugs 3| are provided to engage behind the longitudinal members 8 and coact with the front tray in preventing any shifting movement of the tray unit which would disengage its supports 3!! from the rear longitudinal members. It can be readily disengaged however by an upward swinging and sliding movement. It will appear from the foregoing that the parts of the rack including the tray units and front, rear, and end members may be completely dismounted from operative relation to one another and stacked in compact form for shipment or storage.

I preferably provide a display card holder 32 which is detachably secured to the rear of the upper tray unit, the securing means not being illustrated.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the tray unit is provided with downwardly projecting dowels 33 engageable with the sockets on the end member uprights so that the tray unit constitutes both the longitudinal and bracing members for the frame, the longitudinal members 8 and 9 being omitted. The structure is more economical than that shown in Figs. 1 to 4 and is a satisfactory structure.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, the tray designated generally by the numeral 34 is provided with dowels 33, this tray differing from that of Fig. 5 in that it is not provided with a plurality of pockets or compartments. This shelf or basket type of tray is further illustrated in Fig. '7.

It is believed that with these illustrations of the several embodiments or adaptations of my invention that those skilled in the art to which my invention relates will be able to embody or adapt the same as may be desired for the various purposes for which my improvements are desirable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a display rack, the combination of a pair of end members comprising corner uprights and connecting cross pieces therefor, the top cross piece being formed integrally with the uprights, said uprights having loop-like sockets welded thereto, front and rear longitudinal members having downturned socket engaging dowels at their ends detachably engageable with said sockets, the lower rear longitudinal member being provided with diagonally disposed crossed struts terminating in upturned dowels engaged in coacting sockets, the struts being springable to engage their dowels with their said coacting sockets and retained in engagement therewith by their resiliency, and tray members carried by said longitudinal members.

2. In a display rack, the combination of end members provided with sockets, front and rear longitudinal members having socket engaging dowels detachably engageable with said end member sockets, the lower rear longitudinal member being provided with struts terminating in dowels engaged in coacting sockets on the end members, a tray unit comprising a frame and a plurality of trays arranged in stepped relation secured within said frame, said tray unit having a hooked support engageable with a rear longitudinal member and restin upon a front longitudi- :nal member with the front tray overhanging the same, and a lug mounted on the underside of the next adjacent tray of the unit to engage behind said front longitudinal member on which the tray rests, said tray unit frame fitting between the end members and constituting a bracing member for the uprights.

3. In a display rack, the combination of end members provided with sockets, pairs of front and rear longitudinal members having socket engaging dowels detachably engageable with said end member sockets to maintain the end members in erected position, and a tray member having a hooked support engageable with one longitudinal member and resting upon another longitudinal member, said tray member fitting between the end members and having a frame including front-to-rear elements in lateral supporting engagement with said end members whereby to constitute a bracing member for the uprights, said front, rear, end, and tray members being dismountable from operative relation to one another to compact the parts of the rack for shipment or storage.

4. In a display rack, the combination of end members provided with sockets, pairs of front and rear longitudinal members provided with dowels detachably engaging said sockets, and a tray member arranged between said end members in supported relation to a pair of front and rear longitudinal members, said tray member being provided with a hooked support engaging one of the pair of longitudinal members and resting upon the other, the tray unit comprising a frame including front-to-rear elements in lateral supporting engagement with said end members and constituting a bracing means for supporting the end members against wracking movement, said end members, longitudinal members, and tray member being dismountable from erected relation to one another to compact the rack for shipment or storage.

5. In a display rack, the combination of end members provided with sockets, pairs of front and rear longitudinal members provided with dowels detachably engaging said sockets, and a tray member arranged between said end members in supported relation to a pair of front and rear longitudinal members, the tray member comprising a frame including front-to-rear elements in lateral supporting engagement with said end members and constituting a bracing means for supporting the end members against wracking movement.

6. In a display rack, the combination with corner uprights provided with dowel receiving sockets, of pairs of front and rear longitudinal members having dowel portions detachably engageable with said sockets to maintain the uprights in erected position, and rack members engageable with said longitudinal members and acting when engaged therewith to restrain the uprights and longitudinal members against pivotal collapsing movement relative to each other.

7. A tray unit comprising a top frame member and a plurality of spaced cross members welded thereto and looped tray elements having angled arms, the upright portions of the tray elements being welded to said cross members on said frame and their angled arms constitutin the bottoms of the trays being welded to a. cross member which is in turn welded to the upright portions of the tray members in advance thereof, the elements constituting the front tray being of U- shape and having their forward arms welded to the forward cross member of the frame.

8. A tray unit comprising a top frame member and a plurality of spaced cross members Welded thereto and looped tray elements having angled arms, the upright portions of the tray elements being welded to said cross members on said frame and their angled arms constituting the bottoms of the trays being welded to a cross member which is in turn welded to the upright portions of the tray members in advance thereof.

9. A tray unit comprising a top frame member and a plurality of spaced cross members and angled tray elements, the upright portions of the tray elements being secured to said cross mem bars on said frame and their horizontally disposed portions constituting the bottoms of the trays being secured to a cross member which is in turn secured to the upright portions of the tray members in advance thereof, the tray elements constituting the front tray being of U- shape and having their forward arms secured to the forward cross member of the frame.

10. A tray unit comprising a top frame memher and a plurality of spaced cross members and angled tray elements, the upright portions of the tray elements being secured to said cross members on said frame and their horizontally disposed portions constitutin the bottoms of the trays being secured to a cross member which is in turn secured to the upright portions of the tray members in advance thereof.

DEWEY H. BITNEY. 

